SHILLONG:
Taking serious note of the menace of overloaded trucks, the Meghalaya High Court on Friday directed the state government to take action against them.
Hearing a PIL filed by activist Tennydard M Marak, a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W Diengdoh said, “Appropriate measures should be taken to check overloaded trucks, particularly since they cause serious damage to the roads in the monsoon season.”
The court has also directed the state government to produce the records pertaining to any check point in the Garo Hills districts for November 2021.
It also asked for similar records from any check point in Jaintia Hills districts for January 2022 along with records from any Khasi Hills districts for March 2022 to be produced before the court.
This comes after the state had informed that though there are several check posts which have been set up or are in the process of being set up, the ideal manning of such check points or the continuous inspection of goods vehicles may not have been possible because of lack of resources.
The state further said that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that the laws are adhered to and appropriate personnel are engaged to ensure the implementation.
Marak had stated though the laws may be in place, the problem is in the implementation.
He also alleged that there is hardly any check conducted to ensure that there is no illegal movement of goods or that the goods vehicles adhere to the weight limits or specifications.